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The Paragon of Animals
Sheridan clashes with the various member worlds of the Alliance over the Declaration of Principles. An isolated world asks for the Alliance's help in defending themselves against Raiders. Garibaldi attempts to recruit telepaths for intelligence operations. Cast Regular *Bruce Boxleitner as President John Sheridan *Jerry Doyle as Michael Garibaldi *Mira Furlan as Ambassador Delenn *Richard Biggs as Dr. Stephen Franklin *Bill Mumy as Lennier (Credit Only) *Tracy Scoggins as Captain Elizabeth Lochley (Credit Only) *Stephen Furst as Vir Cotto (Credit Only) *Jeff Conaway as Security Chief Zack Allan (Credit Only) *Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander *Peter Jurasik as Ambassador Londo Mollari *Andreas Katsulas as Ambassador G'Kar Guest Starring *Tony Abatemarco as Verchan *Robin Atkin Downes as Byron *Kim Strauss as Drazi Ambassador Co-Starring *Daniel Bryan Cartmell as Merkat *Bart Johnson as Ranger Uncredited * Christina Gavin as Sarah * Unknown as William * Unknown as Rosa * Unknown as David Cast Notes *Regular characters who appear in this episode are John Sheridan, Michael Garibaldi, Delenn, Stephen Franklin, Lyta Alexander, Londo Mollari and G'Kar. Summary Introduction In a meeting of the burgeoning Interstellar Alliance, several of the former Non-Aligned Worlds, led by the Drazi ambassador, refuse to sign the Declaration of Principles, demanding technological advances immediately. Later, Michael Garibaldi meets John Sheridan and they discuss how things are not going well. G'Kar is taking the refusal personally, as he wrote the Declaration himself. Garibaldi says that they need to get the attention of the Non-Aligned Worlds with a show of force. Morality will just have to take care of itself. Meanwhile, an alien world is under attack by Raiders. A Ranger arrives, promising to take the story of their struggle back to Babylon 5. Act I Garibaldi watches as Sheridan, Delenn, G'Kar, and Mollari try to figure out aid distribution to various worlds in order to get them to sign the Declaration. G'Kar is distracted, trying to rephrase sections of the Declaration to appease different species, while Mollari calls for a drink. Sheridan is skeptical about the power of a rewrite. An exasperated Mollari tells them to offer his body, which G'Kar seconds, but then the Narn is hit with an inspiration from his muse. Sheridan asks Garibaldi what he thinks and he says that they should have telepaths gather covert intelligence, using the rogues hidden on Babylon 5. Sheridan agrees to let Garibaldi ask. Garibaldi searches for Byron Gordon downbelow. None of the telepaths there want to talk to him, but he persuades them to let him speak to Byron. Byron's already sensed Garibaldi's proposal and says no, rather pointedly at that. Byron then lectures Garibaldi on the hardships of being a telepath and sends him on his way. White Star 90 arrives through the jumpgate, needing emergency medical assistance. It is the Ranger from the alien world, badly hurt. Act II In Medlab, Franklin tells Delenn that the Ranger is severely hurt and will only survive a few hours at best. They have no idea why he came or who did this to them. Delenn says that they need a telepath to scan him, and quickly. Lyta Alexander scans the Ranger and discovers the plight of the aliens from the Raiders. The aliens have decided to fight back and it is not going well for them. They wish to join the Alliance, offering to share stores of knowledge that they possess. Alexander then sees the Ranger's image standing in MedLab and talks to him. He worries that he is dying and tells Alexander that the people on the alien world are good people and that he wants his death to be good, to have meaning. Alexander sees him enter a white portal in one of the Medlab doors and he dies. Delenn tells Sheridan about the aliens, who are called the Enphili. The situation requires the show of force that Garibaldi predicted. The Alliance are obligated, because of the Declaration, to interfere. Sheridan's worried because the Raiders trashed White Star 90, implying superior firepower, and wonders how many ships to send. Delenn says that they should make a show of it and send every White Star they can spare. Sheridan calls for the White Stars, who assemble to pick a fight. Act III Sheridan speaks to the Drazi Ambassador about the Enphili to get his government's permission to aid the Enphili. The Drazi Ambassador leaves, discretely followed by Byron. Garibaldi finds Alexander in a restaurant, still dazed from her experience with the Ranger. He jumps right in saying he has a job for her, but Alexander is not in the mood. She notes that she is not supposed to know what he saw, no one is supposed to know. She describes it to Garibaldi, saying that a piece of her soul went with the Ranger when he died. She feels like she herself is partially empty now for what she saw, something she has only ever seen twice. Other telepaths she knew who had seen it multiple times were never the same, in fact, that is how Bester became the way he is. Garibaldi tries to get Alexander to convince Byron to help with the intelligence effort, but she is less than interested. Garibaldi promises that it will be the last favor he will ever ask of her (until the next one), and she agrees to help. G'Kar leaves the now-dark Alliance meeting room, still seemingly unsatisfied with the Declaration. Sheridan, in bed, cannot sleep. He moves to a chair, but someone at the door interrupts him. There is a package outside, which Sheridan opens. It's a scroll. Delenn joins him and they discuss how difficult the Enphili situation is going to be. The scroll is the opening of the Declaration, which Sheridan begins to read. As G'Kar's voice take over the reading (as narration), ''White Star''s amass for the attack, the Enphili sit and wait at a campfire, and Franklin composes a letter to the dead Ranger's family. Sheridan finishes the reading of the scroll as Alexander finds Byron. Byron confronts Alexander about keeping out all of the telepaths. She asks about Garibaldi's proposal. He begins lecturing her on how she takes orders and that she deserves better. He tells her that the telepaths must help each other by caring for one another, demanding to know if it matters to Alexander if he helps Garibaldi. She does and he agrees to aid Garibaldi's intelligence gathering force. Before Alexander can leave, Byron tells her that the Drazi are setting a trap for the White Stars. Act IV Alexander tells Sheridan and Garibaldi that the Drazi were behind the attacks on the Enphili in the first place, aiding and equipping the Raiders from the start. She warns them of the trap being set and that the Enphili homeworld is going to be attacked in retaliation. Sheridan tells Garibaldi to get the White Stars there first at top speed. Sheridan thanks Alexander, which she takes to heart. As Raider ships move toward the Enphili camp, the Enphili watch as dozens of jump points open, White Stars coming to their rescue. Sheridan makes a public display to all of the worlds showing the rescue of the Enphili, making a point of shaming the Drazi ambassador, telling him that they are planning to blast the enemy fleet out of the sky, knowing it is the Drazi who will arrive. The Drazi ambassador pleads with the Alliance, saying that they fought together during the Shadow War. Sheridan says that it is up to the other worlds to decide. They allow the Drazi ambassador to warn his people. Sheridan makes it a point toward signing the Declaration and demands that they sign it. The ambassadors agree and the signing begins as Alexander watches on. Act V Sheridan still sits in the room, holding the Declaration, looking unhappy. Delenn joins him, remarking at the pile of signed Declarations in front of him. She laments that his celebration is so somber. Sheridan is unhappy that both of their problems were solved by telepaths and that Garibaldi might be right. G'Kar bursts in, collecting the signed documents but also saying that they have to sign them again. The Declaration has undergone a new revision and is better. Skeptical at first, Sheridan and Delenn take a brief glance at it and have to agree. G'Kar runs off, the scrolls in tow. Delenn tells Sheridan that he was going to talk to Garibaldi about the telepath situation and Sheridan worries about it. Back in Brown Sector, Alexander returns to Byron and they talk about his ideas some more, Alexander intrigued. She follows him to one of their meetings. Memorable Quotes DVD Release This episode, along with the other 21 from Season 5 have been released on DVD with extensive Special Features. External Link * Category:Babylon 5 episodes Category:Babylon 5 Season 5 episodes